US States GDP Compared to Countries, All 50 States Mapped

Key points

• The HowMuch.net map fills each US state, and Washington DC, with the flag of a country whose economy is about the same size.
• California ($2.97 trillion) is paired with the UK ($2.81 trillion), Texas ($1.78 trillion) with Canada ($1.73 trillion) and New York ($1.7 trillion) with South Korea.
• The smallest state economy, Vermont ($34 billion), is paired with Sudan ($33 billion).
• State figures come from the US Bureau of Economic Analysis and country figures from the International Monetary Fund. The article was published in March 2019 and uses 2018 data.

US states GDP compared to countries, in text

Title: Comparing U.S. States to Entire Countries by GDP. “B” means billion and “T” trillion US dollars. The table lists all 51 pairings from the map, ordered by state GDP.

Footer: Article and sources, howmuch.net/articles/comparing-us-states-to-entire-countries-by-gdp-2019; GDP by U.S. State, Bureau of Economic Analysis (bea.gov); GDP by Country, International Monetary Fund (imf.org). Logo: howmuch.net.

How the comparison works

HowMuch.net’s article says the US economy reached $20.5 trillion in GDP in 2018, and that world GDP was about $80 trillion in 2017 [1]. It compared each state’s GDP, from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, with country figures from the IMF, and matched every state to a country of similar size [1]. It notes that California would be the fifth largest economy in the world if it were a country, and lists the 10 biggest state economies: California, Texas, New York, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, Georgia and Massachusetts [1].

GDP measures the value of the goods and services produced in a place over a year. The BEA describes GDP by state as a comprehensive measure of the economies of each state and the District of Columbia [2].

Newer state figures

The BEA publishes GDP by state every quarter, alongside the third estimate of US GDP [2]. Its September 2026 release reported that real GDP rose in 44 states and the District of Columbia in the second quarter of 2026, from a 4.0% increase in New York to a 2.3% fall in West Virginia [2]. All the dollar figures on this map date from 2018, and every state economy has changed since, so check the BEA for current values [2].

Notes on this infographic

• Missing unit. South Korea’s label reads “$1.66” with no unit. The article gives it as $1.66T [1].
• Loose matches. Some pairs are far apart. Michigan ($538B) is paired with Austria ($459B), Virginia ($539B) with Argentina ($475B) and Washington ($569B) with Thailand ($490B). Florida ($1.04T) is smaller than its match, Mexico ($1.2T).
• Taiwan. The map labels New Jersey’s match “Taiwan”. The article’s top 10 list calls it “Taiwan Province of China”, following the IMF [1].
• Year in the address. The article address ends in 2019, its publication year, but the GDP figures are for 2018 [1].

Questions about US state GDP compared to countries

Which country has a GDP similar to California?

The HowMuch.net map pairs California, with a GDP of $2.97 trillion, with the UK at $2.81 trillion [1]. HowMuch.net notes that California would be the fifth largest economy in the world if it were a country [1]. The figures are for 2018, with state GDP from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and country GDP from the International Monetary Fund.

What is the smallest state economy in the US?

Vermont has the smallest state economy on the map, with a GDP of $34 billion in 2018, and is paired with Sudan at $33 billion. Wyoming is next at $41B, matched with Jordan at $42B. The District of Columbia, which the map includes alongside the 50 states, had a GDP of $142B and is paired with Ukraine at $126B.

Which US states have the largest economies?

HowMuch.net lists the 10 biggest state economies in 2018 as California, Texas, New York, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, Georgia and Massachusetts [1]. California leads at $2.97 trillion, followed by Texas at $1.78 trillion and New York at $1.7 trillion. On the map, Texas is paired with Canada and New York with South Korea.

How big was the US economy in 2018?

HowMuch.net says the US economy reached $20.5 trillion in GDP in 2018, and that world GDP was about $80 trillion in 2017 [1]. Its map matches each state's 2018 GDP with a country of similar size. The BEA now publishes GDP by state every quarter, and every state economy has changed since 2018 [2].

Sources

1. HowMuch.net, Visualizing U.S States GDP vs Countries, 13 March 2019.
2. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, GDP by State.

Last reviewed 30 October 2026